Dear California Elected Officials,

We write as a coalition of Medical Doctors who believe in Medical Freedom — which is why we are joining to oppose SB 277 and SB 792. We operate under the American Medical Association Code of ethics that states: “the patient should make his or her own determination about treatment… Informed consent is a basic policy in both ethics and law that physicians must honor…”

The mandatory vaccine interventions being proposed in this legislation go against our code of ethics as medical professionals.

Furthermore, we are not in a current state of epidemic. The Disneyland Measles outbreak affected only 24 out of the 6.7 million school-aged children in California.  This equates to just 18% of the total 134 cases of measles. The outbreak was not centered in schools and there was not a single documented transmission of the disease in a school setting. The majority of cases occurred near the epicenter and where measles spread to communities removed from the epicenter it was well contained with a small handful of cases per county. On April 17, 2015 the measles outbreak was declared over and did not result in any deaths.  Does mandating 10 vaccines in response to this outbreak seem justified?

Vaccination does not come without risk. Every year, almost 4000 severe reactions are reported to the Vaccine Adverse Reporting System (VAERS), which result in prolonged hospitalization, permanent disability, or death. Since VAERS is a passive reporting system, many reactions aren’t even reported. The true number of adverse reactions may be even higher. Over $3 billion have been paid out to victims of vaccine reactions. Knowing this, how can we take away a parent’s right to choose in the absence of any real public health crisis?

“First, do no harm.” It is our responsibility to protect the interest of our patients, first and foremost. The ethical principle of informed consent to medical risk taking must be respected, especially when the procedure has been legally classified as “unavoidably unsafe.” We should not take a “one size fits all” approach when we know some individuals are at greater biological risk than others for suffering vaccine reactions. Ultimately, medical decisions for children should be made between a parent and doctor.

This country was founded in the spirit of freedom. Let’s not let fear motivate us to begin chipping away at our most basic freedom to choose what medical procedures are best for ourselves and our children. Please protect a parent’s right to choose, and oppose SB277 and SB792.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jack Wolfson

(Other doctors, healthcare professionals and concerned parents are welcome to sign and share!)